Two Worlds
by MarieElana
Summary: When Klonoa finally returns to Lunatea, he finds himself taking his little sister, Marie. Soon she finds that she gets to go on an amazing adventure of her own...
1. Chapter 1

And now, for the first chapter of my Klonoa fan fic!  
Joiliante, the kingdom of joy; destiny foretold his return, to return to this spot in Lunatea. It was here, that the famed dream traveler, Klonoa, fought off a great monster in his quest to save Lunatea, now, he shall return to once again see his two friends, the smart alick, Popka, and the priestess, Lolo. The two traveled there to Joliante to await his arrival, but couldn't see the surprise coming.  
"He must be around somewhere" said the striped creature with glassy eyes "I can smell him."  
"Really?" his red head friend asked "What does he smell like?"  
"Ya don't wanna know" he simply replied, leaving it at that.

Popka was Klonoa's "side kick" and was some... wierd doggy thingy. Standing up, he seemed to be two feet tall, and his fur pattern alternated between yellowish and brown, mainly on his broad, flat arms, both ending with three small claws used for flying. His tail was short, ending with a little pink ball and he had a pointed nose and brown, floppy ears. His most notable features were his red bandana and his emerald eyes that resembled two small sheets of stained glass.

His friend, Lolo, appeared to be a human with the exception of her cream colored, orange tipped kitty tail. Her hair, orange and shoulder length, appeared to be spiky at the ends. She had blue giant eyes, resembling deep pools of water, and fair skin. She was garbed in her usual clothes; dark pink shoes, black pants, a pink dress with a winged, triangle emrald, and her funny, cylindrical pink hat with a green feather. She greatly anticipated the arrival of her friend who departed long ago, and was very eager to show him how she managed to become a priestess, attaining her dreams like she said she would, but she had more reason to be excited, more personal reasons...

Not too far away, two cat-like figures wandered around in the crowds that were thicker than fog. The much taller one, Klonoa, scanned the crowd with cat-like hazel eyes in hope of spotting any familiar face. His body was entirely covered in coal black fur, with the exception of his chin, whiskers, tip of his short tail and the ends of his floppy ears, which were snow white and fanned out. He was dressed in red sneakers, blue shorts, a blue vest thingy, yellow gloves, and a blue base ball cap, that had an odd symbol of what looked like a yellow circle eating a yellow dot. His cap had been turned backwards, letting two thick strands of bangs stick out in the front.

The slightly smaller one, Marie, had an uncanny resemblance to Klonoa, with the exception of her long tail and sapphire eyes, and of course, being shorter. Her usual attire was rather... different; clothes that alternated between blue and purple. She wore purple and blue checkered pants, a vertically split purple and blue shawl, a blue shoe, a purple shoe, a blue glove, a purple glove, and a purple and blue split jester hat, each with a steel ball of the opposite color sewn to the ends. The only exception to her pattern was her golden collar with a strange, ancient pattern.

"Mmmmmmmm" Marie said, biting into a corn dog as she followed Klonoa "This stuff is good!"  
"Where'd you get that?" Klonoa asked, stopping abruptly. Marie didn't see this coming as she accidently bumped into Klonoa.  
"Manyo..." she moaned, rubbing her head before she answered "I found it laying around, I got one for you too." She took out another corndog from her shawl, slightly oblivious to the fact that it wasn't free. 

"Kay..." Klonoa said "There's two things wrong with this. First, you shouldn't keep food in your shawl, second-"  
"HEY!" someone yelled, running after them "Stop, thief!"  
"Run!" Klonoa yelled, grabbing Marie's hand as they weaved through the crowds, denser than Marie's head. Luckily, the two managed to escape a safe distance away, both sure that they wouldn't be caught.  
"Man... what's his problem?" Marie asked, panting heavily.  
"Uhhhhhh Marie, that corn dog was his" Klonoa explained  
"What kind of person would leave perfectly good food layin' around?" she asked, taking the last bite out of the corn dog.  
"It wasn't laying around, it was FOR SALE!" Klonoa yelled, causing many stares.  
"Meep?" Marie uttered "For sale..."   
"I'll explain later" he said, regaining composure. "Klonoa!" someone yelled in glee "I finnaly found you!"  
"ACK!" Marie yelled "We've been found!"   
Saying that, she ran off, oblivious to Klonoa's yells.  
"Marie!" he called "Come back! It's only my friends. MARIE!"

She couldn't hear him, his calls were drowned out by the loud thudding of her heart, mixed with fire works and carnival music. Not looking behind, she sprinted on ahead, on and on until her lungs burned greatly, forcing her to stop and take a break.

"Boy, that was a close one" she said, once again panting heavily "Wasn't it, Klo'?"  
She heard nothing, but the erie whistle of the wind through stone walls, unfamiliar walls.   
"Wait..." she thought aloud "his doesn't look like the park... where am I? Klonoa?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello?" Marie called as she stepped down a couple stairs, each creaking, covered in mold and decay. Her calls echoed throughout the mansion of old, cursed by its own mysteries.

"Hmmm..." she thought to herself "There's no way out... I think... I'll just have to press on..."

She did so, remaining ever vigilant, periodically calling here and there until she heard something suspicious.

"Eeeee hee hee hee" an inhuman laugh filled the halls, surrounding her.

"Wh- who's there?" she stuttered "Show yourself now!"

"Ahhh... she is lost in the haunted house" it said to itself "Terror and danger awaits the little girl, who knows? Maybe she'll DIE!"

The monstrous voice insanely cackled, then revealed itslef as the long, lost ghost of... a butler? His body, darkened from the shadows, floated in mid-air, putting himself face-to-face with the child. He beared a huge grin on his face, as well as the faces coming from the sleeves of his uniform, both his eyes and mouth were bright, glowing yellow. Realizing he was nothing more than a ghost, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's only a ghost." she said casually, a rather insulting remark.

"HEY!" he bellowed, slightly agitated "What do you mean 'Just a ghost'?"

"Puh-lease" she said "I've had demons for roomates, a ghost can't be as bad."

"Yes it can!" he protested.

"What are ya gonna do?" she mocked "Summon up your friends and fly through me? You can't even punch me, you'll just fly right through me."

"I'll do much worse!" he said, grin widening "I'll err... ummm... wait, you're right... I can't do anything to you. My afterlife was a lie!"

"Well... probably not a lie" she said "But if word leaks then you'll be outta the job"

Saying that, she continued down the hallway, but the ghost protested once again.

"WAIT!" he said, trying to grab her arm "You can't go down there!"

His attempts were useless, his hand phased through her body as she continued on her way.

"That's okay, ya can't scare 'em all" she remarked.

"But you can't go down there!" he plead "The ghost party's down there!"

"That's okay, they can't hurt me." she said.

"But they'll know I didn't scare you off, imagine what that'll do to my reputation, I'll be the laughing stock of the afterlife" he said, getting on his knees "Please, please, pllleeeassse!"

Marie gazed at the odd site, pitying him slightly.

"Fine, I'll make a deal" she said "Point me in the direction outta here, and I'll keep this thing our little secret."

"Sure thing" he said, grin wider than ever "Just go that way, and it'll eventually lead you to the exit, but it's a long and treachorous path."

He pointed with his ghostly hands to the west.

"That's okay" she said, starting off in that direction "It was nice talking to you."

"One more thing!" he said "If you happen to die here, you can always share the mansion with me."

" Er..." she paused "Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

She continued on, only to find her first, and possibly only obstacle; a fiery path with depthless pits, dimly illuminated by the blue embers. Peering over, she nervously gulped and stepped back.

"Eeeeeeeee..." she whined " that's a very long fall... what to do? What to do?"

Upon a brief observation, she figured that the bottomless abyss stretched all away across the room, but she was too scared of heights to cross.

"I'll just find another way around" she told herself, turning back to the entrance, only to find the giant, musty door shut behind her.

"Okay..." she said, "I don't remember closing that door, or hearing it close... oh well, I'll just grab the handle and-"

She tugged her hardest, but the door refused to budge. Applying more strength, she placed her foot on the door and pulled even harder.

"Open Up!" she yelled "Ya stupid door!"

She pulled and pulled with all her might until she heard a loud snap causing her to fly backwards with the door handle in her hand.

"Grrrr..." she growled, chucking the handle at the door "Fine, be that way, I'll show ya!"

She pointed at the door, expecting some kind of response, but soon gave up and approached the pit once again.

"What to do?" she asked herself "It's either fall down the pit, burn in the flames, or starve and be lonely... not very good choices..."

Though, at times, Marie seemed to not be so bright, she fully understood this situation; face complete isolation, or die. She shivered a bit, the dank air brought coldness upon her, so she went to a corner and huddled up, a very miserable child. Soft weeping echoed across the room, slowly diing away.

"How am I gonna get out?" she asked herself "I may never see Klonoa or my friends again..."

"I might be able to help..." a cheery male voice said, revealing itself suddenly. A white cat-like person with a frizzy tail and violet-tipped ears manifested himself in fron of the child, bearing a happy grin. He was clad in jester clothes, much like hers, with the exception of the colors alternating between red, orange and yellow, and he too had a collar, but this one had a scarf too. Crosses were face painted over his eyes, and clutched in his hand was a magical scepter which illuminated the room. Marie looked up at him, her cheek fur matted with tears, then looked away.

"Another ghost..." she softly muttered.

"Oh, I'm no ghost" he said, tapping his scepter "I'm the king of Joy, and no one in my kingdom can be sad."

"Sure, that's easy for you to say..." she uttered, ears drooping down more than usual. He tapped the scepter and it produced some velvety roses.

"How about some flowers to cheer the little lady?" he suggested, handing them to her.

"No thanks" she muttered "I just want to see my friends again... and get out of this place..."

"Well, that's silly" he remarked "The exit's over there, across that treachorous, deadly pit of flames."

"Er..." she paused "How will I cross?"

"Oh, that's a toughie" he said, rubbing his fuzzy chin " Unless you learn to fly, you'll be stuck here for a very long time..."

"Myuuu..." she whined, crying "I'll be stuck here forever!"

Marie turned back to the dank, stone corner, consumed in her sadness.

"Please don't cry!" he plead " I think there's something that'll help."

He once again tapped his scepter and it produced a vial of sparkling liquid, and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked, closley inspecting it.

"Tears of Claire!" he said " It's said to cause miracles to those who drink it, only if they're pure of heart."

"What if I'm not pure" she said, sniffing the bottle to determine if it was poison.

"Something DREADFUL" he said with a hint of excitement " but I always wondered what would happen if it worked."

"Well, I don't have much choice" she said, popping the cork off the bottle "Bottoms up!"

She chugged down half the bottle and said "Hey, it tastes like cherry!" and swigged down the rest, then paused.

"...nothin's happenin' " she said.

"Wait for it!" he said giddily, curious about the outcome.

In a matter of moments, her breathing quickened as she stood up. The entire room swayed before her, as she stumbled awkwardly, then clucthed the sides of her head, eyes squinted in pain. She collapsed to the ground, letting out a horrific shriek as she writhed in pain. The king instantly rushed to her side, but he himself knew the potion would determine whether or not she'd survive, therefor he couldn't help her in any way. Though brief, those moments were the most painful in her life, causing her to black out, undergoing some kind of change. The screaming ceased, but she still appeared to suffer, even in unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

"Marie!" Klonoa called out, his voice being drowned out by various noises, mainly fireworks "Where are you?"

Lolo and Popka stared on, unsure of how to react. Klonoa yelled out over and over with no success, trying to call over the crowds until his throat was sore. He punched a lamp post cursing under his breath and turned back towards his friends.

"It's no use" Popka told him "She can't here ya."

"Who was she anyway?" Lolo said accusingly to him "What are you doing with another girl?"

"Hey, don't get it that way!" Klonoa frantically explained "She's just my sister, and now she's lost……….. Manyo, this isn't good. Grandpa will kill me for sure."

"Hey, why would you care anyway?" Popka asked Lolo "You're soundin' paranoid."

"Ehhhh……. I- it's nothing!" she stuttered, turning pink "Don't worry, I think she'll be alright."

"I doubt it…" Klonoa muttered "She's so naïve, she gets herself in a lot of trouble, even when I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Sounds like havin' a younger sister is a hanful "Popka commented "Anyway, we should probably split up, this park's a little too big to explore bit by bit."

"You're right" Klonoa said.

"No, "Lolo said "What if we lose each other; we could end up searching for hours……"

"That's true too" Klonoa said "Let's stick together….."

"Ya always listen ta her" Popka uttered.

"Hey!" some random anthromorphic blue fox said to Klonoa, out of the blue "You look familiar."

"Huh?" Klonoa paused "but I've never seen you………"

"Oh, well, I saw some one who looks like you" he said, fluffy tail swishing, rubbing his whiskers "She was shorter, same species as ya, and headed off that way."

He pointed towards the well known haunted house with an outstretched claw.

"Really?" Klonoa said "That helps a lot."

"I'm not sure" Lolo said "Can we trust him?"

"Whad do we have to lose?" Popka asked "We are going to search the park anyways…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Lolo said "It's just……….."

"Ah, we'll be alright" Klonoa said "I'll protect you."

"Okay" she said "Let's go then."

She leapt up into the air, turning into a small, glowing aqua sphere, flying towards Klonoa's ring. The light disappeared into the emerald, causing a holy fusion of powers, allowing Klonoa to unlock the ring's full potential.

"I'm ready" her voice said, sounding distorted from the ring.

"Okay, let's go" Klonoa said, running off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Popka yelled, flying behind.

Waiting for them to disappear into the horizon, the fox boy held a small communicator to his mouth, and quietly said "They've fallen for the trap….."

"We're almost there" Klonoa thought " Marie, please be okay..."

Bursting through the doors, Klonoa scanned the musty room quickly and thoroughly, his cat eyes glinting in the light. Popka stood next to him, panting heavily, muttering about taking a break.

"Could ya run any faster?" Popka sarcastically remarked "Don't get yourself so worked up, she's probably fine."

"She's not..." Klonoa paused 'Something's not right... do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Popka asked, perking up his ears.

"Listen very carfeully" he said as his long floppy ears twitched slightly "Something is lurking about."

"Hmmmmmm..." Popka thought "Doesn't look like anything..."

Klonoa paused for a minute, eyes setting upon the stone wall. He glared at that spot and held up his ring, preparing for battle. Closing his eyes, his ears twitched once again.

"There!" he said, shooting a spot with his ring. The wall began to quiver like flesh, and something fell off from it. Klonoa ran to it, but it manuevered its body with great speed and grace. Leaping off the ground it positioned itself behind Klonoa with blinding speed, trying to land a punch, but Klonoa stepped to the side and grabbed his arm in midair. Summoning up his strength, Klonoa swung the darkling from its arm and sent him flying. Popka stared on, mouth gaping widly.

"So uh..." Popka thought " Where'd ya learn moves like that? And how did ya know he was there?"

"Oh, I learned a ton of stuff while I was away" he said, adjusting his cap slightly "Imagine what would happen if I didn't."

"We'd have been ambushed " Popka said " I wonder if there were more creatures like that..."

"Oh there is" a hostile voice said, revealing himself as the fox they met earlier. He seemed to be levetating above them, holding a pulsing orb in his hand " I have an army of these creatures, but that's nothing compared to what I'm after."

Meanwhile, further away, Marie stirred, fighting to regain conciousness. The king sat by her side, hopeful that she'd survive. Suddenly her eyes flicked open, and she sat up immediatly. She instantly sprung up, rubbing her sore head and stretching her stiff joints.

"Man, what happened?" she asked aloud "I feel sore all over... and my shoulders feel funny."

"Ehhhhhhh..." the king paused, not wanting to surprise her. He gazed wide-eyed at her, very amazed.

"Eh, why are you staring?" she asked "Do I have something on my face?"

"... no" he said, gesturing behind her back "YOu might want to look there."

She did so, looking over her shoulder to discover soft, white feathers which twitched and folded slightly. She took her fingers and felt them, gentle and silky smooth. As she ran her fingers down, she felt a tingle in a place she couldn't before and gasped.

"What are these!" she said, eyes dialating in surprise. The king got closer and prodded the feathers with his fingers.

"I think they're wings" he deduced "amazing, it must have been the potions doing."

"More like painful if you ask me" she said, folding the wings together "I betcha that's why it hurt so much..."

"Well, now you could probably fly over the pit" he suggested "but they are rather small..."

"Hmmmmmmm..." she paused, focusing on the door knob she chucked, it lay in the corner of the room. She thought she saw it rattle a bit, but then she noticed it lift off the ground.

"Ummmmmm do you have any psychic powers?" she asked him, she knew too well that the door knob was levatating somehow.

"No, why do you ask?" he replied.

"Look over there" she pointed "the door knob, it's floating..."

The king peered over and inspected saying "There's no ghostly powers at work here, so there must be a telekinetic somewhere." He looked up at her and pondered deeply.

"It must be the potion" Marie said " It gave me powers, I guess the wings are kind of useless... boy, Klonoa's gonna be surprised..."

"Well, at least you can get out now." he said, pointing towards the exit "Better now than never."

"Yeah, you're right" she said, stepping towards the ledge.

Once again, she peered over, but something was amiss; her fears. This time, she was not reluctant and hope and courage seemed to blossom from the darkest corner of her heart, replacing all the worries. She closed her eyes and focused intently, taking in gentle breaths as she imagined a blissful happening, that she would rise above all the evil. Openning her eyes, she smiled in glee, seeing the stone floor far below her.

"I'm... I'm floating!" she said, manuevering herself through the air. The king flew up next to her, and then she realised something.

"Hey, you ARE a telekinetic, aren't ya?" she accused him "Why did you lie?"

"Hey, if I told you I could get you out of here, then you'd never get new powers, or overcome your greatest weakness" he said " I helped you in a freaky, bizzare way."

"Oh" she thought " Well, then maybe you can guide me out now that I have these powers..."

"Of course" he said, smiling like always "It'll be fun."

Little did the two know that awaiting them was the greatest threat to the Lunatea...


	4. Chapter 4

The two walked down the dank hallway, unsure of what would come. Eerie whistling from the wind broke the silence here and there, other than that, things were very quiet.

"So uh... who's this Klonoa guy you were talking about?" the king asked, trying to start a conversation "A boyfriend or something?"

"Boyfriend?" Marie said " Yuck, that's gross. Klonoa's my brother!"

"Oh... sorry" he said, slightly embarassed "Anyway..."

"Shush!" Marie said, pressing herself against the wall "Quick, hide!"

The dumbfounded king did so, rather surprised at this sudden change of atmosphere. Marie gestered to be quiet, then peered over in the next corridor. She ducked back into the hallway, as a beam just cleared her shoulder.

"Awe, great" Marie said "Lemme handle this!"

She clenched her fist, forming a quivering ball of energy, that pulsed a blue light. the energy in her palm suddenly grew, and manifested itself into a sword. The same thing happened with her other hand, as she ran out into the room, dashing from side-to-side to avoid enemy fire. She jumped up in front of the enemy, another doppleganger of some sort, and slashed with both swords at blinding speed, then slashed several more times before it could get back up. She paused to see the thing turn into a puddle of dark goo and seep into the ground.

"Ya better run away!" she said, shaking her fist at the puddle " Okay, it's safe to come out now."

The king once again stared at her, wide-eyed in great disbelief, his jaw dropped slightly.

"What is it now?" Marie asked.

"You fight really well..." he said.

"And your point is?" Marie said.

"You're a kid, I didn't expect that out of a little girl." he said.

Marie started to steam about, ready to blow her top.

"WHY CAN'T KIDS BE FIGHTERS TOO?" she stormed onto him, as he withdrew.

"Oh... it's nothing" he said " Just uncommon, my apologies, miss..."

"Well... okay, I just get that a lot, but you didn't know that." she said, suddenly calming down "Just don't do it again..."

She frowned a bit, knowing she had a little problem with stereotypes, then again, it was stereotypes that ruined her life and caused a lot of pain. She despised people being judged by their age or species, or even gender for that matter, but she knew he didn't know better. Shrugging it off, she focused on the stone floor, staring down as she walked ahead.

Meanwhile, not too far off, her brother Klonoa engaged in the battle of his life. As nimble as he was on his feet, this mysterious fox person seemed to be stronger, faster, besting him in every aspect of combat. If Klonoa dodged to the right, he would see it coming, and counter with a brutal slam from his dark energy. Catching Klonoa off gaurd, he grabbed him by the wrist, and flung him into the wall. His body slid down slowly, not giving him anytime to react to another hit, another blow. Even so, Klonoa managed to get off the ground, and spat out some blood.

"What's your problem?" Klonoa asked "I did nothing to you."

"You have something I want!" he simply remarked.

"The ring?" Klonoa automatically thought, looking down to his hand.

"No, not that, baka!" he said "The orb!"

"Orb? What orb?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you have it!" he said, giving him a swift punch in the stomach. Klonoa's eyes dialated as he fell to the floor in pain.

"Hey! Stop that!" a familiar voice said, firing a blast of energy at the fox. The blast kicked up excessive ammounts of dust, clouding his sight as the girl ran to Klonoa. Quickly inspecting his wounds, she gave him a vial from her shawl telling him "Drink this potion, I'll take care of him."

"Oh, feeling confident, little girl?" he said, holding someone by the neck, Popka "You'll give me the orb, or your little friend will suffer!"

"Popka!" Klonoa yelled "Damn you!"

"Orb?" Marie said "You mean this?"

From her shawl, she produced a pendent with a bright red sphere, pulsing with energy. She gestered to it, thinking this is what he had in mind.

"That's it!" he said, advancing to Marie, but she stepped to the side, catching him off guard.

"First, drop him" she said, pointing to Popka. The king caught glimpse of the orb, and stared at in fixiation, but soon snapped back into reality.

"No! You can't give that to him!" he yelled, trying to runover, but he was too late. The exchange took place as she placed the pendent on the ground, the fox man tossed Popka to the side, and picked up the orb, greedily staring into it.

"Finnaly, the ultimate power is mine!" he said insanely "Time for all of you to die!"

He held out the pendent as it pulsed brightly, almost blinding everyone. Everything began to shake, then he disappeared.

"What? An earthquake?" Marie said, trying to keep balance, but suddenly losing energy. Darkness seemed to surround her, choking her as well as Klonoa, but the King and Popka were unaffected.

"He started the chaos!" Popka said to the king, nearly tripping from all the shaking.

"Yes, we must leave, those two won't last long here." he said, holding up his scepter, it glowwed brighter than ever, and transported them all to the gates of Joiliante, where they all witnessed a terrible sight. The earthquake shook the park to its foundation, causing the entire park to fall into disrepair, and sink into the ground.

"My Kingdom!" the king yelled, slamming his fist into the ground "He took my kingdom, he shall pay!"

Marie and Lolo sat by Klonoa, trying to wake him up. Mumbling, he heard those calls and woke up, feeling sore all over. He took a glance at Marie, and gasped.

"Hey, since when did you have wings?" he said.

"Ummmmmmmm a couple of hours ago" she paused "but this really isn't the time, what was that thing about the orb?"

She turned to the King of Joy, expecting an answer. He looked away, like as if he wanted to avoid it altogether.

"Spit it out already!" Popka yelled at him "We know you know something!"

"Well..." he paused "How to explain this... long ago, there was a parallel world to Lunatea, a mirror world. All positive energies in the universe vented out from Lunatea, and all negative energies, evil, greed, despair, vented from the dark world. The people of the dark world envied the people from Lunatea, and tried to steal and plunder the villages in Lunatea. At one point, there was a war between the two worlds, and Lunatea came out victorious..."

He looked down at the ground, not wanting to tell the rest.

"Continue!" Marie commanded.

"Well, prophecy has it that the dark world would one day get its revenge on Lunatea. They created an orb of destruction that unleashed the power of chaos, to destroy our world. We couldn't destroy the orb, so we transported it to the farest corner of the universe... ironically, you came across it..." he said.

"And now he has the power to destroy Lunatea..." Marie said, looking down.

"Not yet!" he said "It takes awhile to unlock its full potential, but the destruction of Lunatea can cause a huge chain reaction... and destroy a large fragment of the universe..."

"There must be a way to stop it!" Klonoa said.

"Actually, there might be a way, if anyone would know, it would be the Queen of Tranquility." he explained "She has done a lot of research on the orb."

"Where do we find her?" Marie asked.

Klonoa smacked her on the head saying, "In her kingdom of course, La La Kooska!"

"Well sorry I didn't know that!" she said, rubbing her head "I AM a little new here..."

"Nevermind!" the king said "You four must hurry! We don't have much time!"

"Awe, don't worry!" she said "Let's go!"

Lolo quickly returned to Klonoa's ring as the group hastely headed towards a giant tower towards the northeast.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are we there yet?" Marie asked, walking beside Klonoa "We musta been walkin' for hours!"

"We've only been walkin' for half an hour!" Popka corrected.

"Who asked ya?" Marie said sticking her tongue out at him. Popka grunted to himself and tried to shrug it off, but that didn't last long.

"I'm hungry!" Marie complained to Klonoa.

"You're always hungry!" klonoa told her "Just suck it up for now."

"Okay" she said "Are we there yet?"

"I can't take her anymore!" Popka yelled, glaring at her "You better shad up, or you'll regret it."

"Yeah right!' she said, snickering mischievely to herself.

"That's it!" Popka yelled, lunging at her with his claws. She simply took a step to the side, causing him to go crashing into the ground. He mumbled to himself annoyed, then asked Klonoa "Are we there yet? Marie's gettin' on my nerves."

"It's up ahead... across that river... it's wider than last time..." klonoa paused.

"Yippee!" Marie shouted in glee "I get ta swim!"

"Oh no..." Klonoa paused.

"Oh, I forgot, you can't swim" she said "Too bad for you... hey, maybe a double jump can help you cross!"

Klonoa rubbed his chin and thought, "All I have to do is nab a moo and-"

"No!" Marie said " I know what you're thinking! You can't hurt the moos!"

"Is she crazy?" Popka whispered to Klonoa.

"I heard that!" Marie said "To let ya know, I'm a moo protector!"

"Well... there's one other way..." Klonoa said, looking to Popka.

"Don't look at me like that!" he scowled "I still have a head ache from last time!"

"Pwease?" Marie begged, wide-eyed, trembling her lip in a puppy-dog pout. He tried looking away from her face, but one quick glance at the intense cuteness caused him to change his mind. Giving in, he said "Fine, I'll do it, but I won't like it!"

"Thanks!" Marie gleefully said as Klonoa and Popka readied themselves. Marie didn't know what Popka was capable of, but she assumed he wasn't completely useless. Klonoa backed away from the river, signaling Popka that he was ready. He dashed towards the river, leaping up in the air. Flapping his ears, he managed to prevent himself from falling for a matter of seconds while Popka flew underneath. Before Klonoa could fall into the swift currents, Popka flew underneath him, bashing his head underneath his feet, causing Klonoa to fly up into the air, landing safely on the other side. Marie gazed on at the odd sight; Popka spinning around, still in mid air, eyes spiraling for a short while. His state of dizziness soon ended, and she snapped back into reality.

"Now it's my turn!" she announced, zooming towards the river. She took a leap and dived in, completely submerging herself in water. The two looked on, closely keeping eye on the trail of bubbles that quickly traveled across the river. They assumed she caused the bubble, the water wasn't clear enough to see her.

"So, unlike you she can swim..." Popka observed, looking up.

"Yup" Klonoa simply replied "I lost the trail of bubbles... do you see it anywhere?"

"Nope" he said, keeping his eyes fixed upon the river "She's bound ta come up..."

"What are you two staring at?" someone asked from behind them. Klonoa quickly turned around, but relaxed seeing it was Marie.

"How'd ya get behind us?" Popka asked.

"Wow, ya must have not been payin' close attention" she assumed, wringing the water out of her jester hat. Popka's nose twitched as he sniffed the air.

"You know, you smell a little different..." he suspiciously said.

"Musta been the water." she simply said "Caused my scent ta change."

"Nevermind!" Klonoa interupted "We've wasted enough time!"

"Right!" the other two said in unison, following Klonoa. The three set off towards the temple in the distance, Popka glancing back from time-to-time.

"Something doesn't feel right..." he muttered to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

"How'd I get myself into this mess?" an all too familiar voice asked, echoing through the dimly-lit underground caves. Lined with torches, it provided little illumination for the cells, all empty except for the last one, occupied by Marie. Both dumbfounded and confused, she quickly glanced around, noticing the dull reflection of steel bars in the torch flames.

"Wha?" she sprang up, finally realizing where she was "How'd I get here?"

Walking towards the door, she felt soreness in her ankle, discovering an uncomfortably tight metal band. She thought nothing of it, dismissing any idea of what it could be, and set to work. Peering through the lock, she took off one glove, retracting a tiny claw from her finger. Using her claw, she prodded the inner mechanisms of the lock until a light click signaled that she could escape. She gave the cell door a light shove, as it slowly opened, squeaking on its old hinges.

"Yes!" she cheered, slipping her glove back on "Now ta get outta here!"

"I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you!" a semi low male voice said. Marie's ears perked up as she quickly glanced over, seeing the blue fox, stroking a peculiar object in his hand. It seemed to a turn dial and a button, which he cautiously rested his thumb upon.

"You again?" she said angered "Ya have some nerve lockin' me up here!"

He ignored that statement, smirking at her in a mocking way. She readied herself to attack, concentrating her energies into her palm, manifesting itself as a sword. Getting into fighting stance, she stared him down, confidence brimming, that is, until her sword flickered out. Shocked, she quickly rematerialized her sword, only to get the same results.Over and over again she tried, until the villain interrupted her.

"How clueless you are!" he chuckled to himself "All the Chaos energy looming about this room nullifies your magic. Try all you want, you'll just exhaust yourself."

She simply grinned, moving onto a new plan she announced "I don't need magic ta tear ya apart!"

She dashed at him with blinding speed, fingers curled into an outstretched fist. She swung at him, but he managed to block it. During those few moments, he countered, grasping her arm tightly, he swung her around, letting go. She flew into the stone wall, making a loud thud upon impact.

"Tsk tsk" he mocked, kicking her in the side "Did you really think you could get the better of me without your magic? I'll have to punish you for your poor judgment."

He held out the device in his hand, pressing the button to activate it, and turning the dial slightly. She instantly felt pain surge through her body, but managed to get back up to attack. Using all the strength she could muster, she leapt towards him, but he avoided the attack easily, rotating the dial more. The pain greatly intensified, jolting through every muscle and limb, but soon ceased. Lookup up weakly, she could only assume that the device was deactivated. The entire world seemed to fade away, darkness melded with everything she saw. Before everything went black, she heard him say, "I heard you're an immortal being. An eternity of torture awaits you."

Meanwhile, not too far off, small creatures wandered about. The Popul Purels, a group consisting of many Moos, except for their leader, seemed to be searching. Considered to be the pests of Lunatea, they could easily be recognized by their small, spherical body, smooth red skin, cream-colored faces, blue round paws and long ears with a single yellow strip. They searched every corner thoroughly; behind forest trees, under tiny rocks, everywhere imaginable. The leader watched on intently, anticipating their next find.

He called himself "the King of Moos" which probably explains the gaudy, over-sized crown he wore (I'm kiddin' about the crown, I think it's cool :D). His appearance stuck out in the crowd in every way imaginable; his wardrobe alternating between magenta on the right side and navy-blue on the left, except for the yellow cuffs on his sleeves and pant-legs, and two yellow buttons on each side of the shirt. The shoes and gloves followed the opposite pattern of colors though. An orange tail bent in distinct angles and curled slightly at the leaf-shaped end, floating behind him, not attached to the body. His face, white with black eyes that had yellow pupils, and five stripes on each side of his head, magenta on top, blue on bottom, two yellow and a black center.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't seem to notice that the Moos found something until he saw them circling by a dust patch. They all murmured in their simplistic language, calling "Moo! Moo! Moo!" Glancing over, he approached, finding a small peculiar hole in the ground and soon dismissed the thought of it possibly being important, but before he could walk off, the ground shifted beneath his feet.

"Whoa!" he said, slipping into the abyss. The dry earth crumbled as they all plummeted down below. Many thuds could be heard as the Moos started to pile, their leader being at the bottom. Sputtering out some dirt, he asked the Moos "Get off, will ya?". They all obediently shifted themselves until they were standing up, and off their leader.

"Where is this place?" he asked himself, rubbing his sore head, grabbing one of the torches that lined the walls of the underground cave. Seeing all the dank cells, he quickly assumed it was an abandoned, creepy prison, and searched for a way out. The room was empty and cold, moldy tables and chairs sprawled about, but a small heap occupying the last cell caught his attention. Curiously wanting to get a closer look, he found some keys lying on the table. Upon closer inspection, he found they weren't dusty, more like they've been handled recently. Trying each key in the lock, it took several tries until the door finnaly opened as he approached the limp body, an unconscious girl, faced down in the stone floor. Turning her over, he found fresh cuts and bruises on her face and body.

"Boy, I don't want ta stick around here anymore" he said to himself, nervously imagining what being could possibly hurt her so much, and if it was still lurking about its evil lair. The Moos prodded her with their claws in curiosity, causing her to twitch. Forcing her eyes open, she groaned in pain, and clutched her side, where she was kicked before.

"Hey, you're awake?" he asked, turning back "Who did this to you?"

"You…. must….. escape…….." she uttered weakly, wheezing as she breathed "Get….. out………."

"What about you?" he asked, a little concerned.

"No! Go……….." she said in a daze. He thought for a few seconds knowing that it would be wrong to leave her, but he might get someone angry if she's freed, mainly the one who attacked her. After much thought, he decided to bring her with him, noticing the Popul Purel seemed to be fond of her. Though she seemed weak, she managed to stand on her two legs, and with the Moos making sure she didn't lose her balance, she could get around.

"You're coming with me." He told commanded, not sure what to expect. She didn't protest, placing her trust in him. Holding the torch up, he saw a hallway, the only one, and assumed it led somewhere. He set off in that direction, the Moos and the girl followed. Wandering down the rocky corridors, he kept a close eye on the girl ever now and then, until they could see sunlight.

"There's the exit!" he said, relieved "Now ta get outta here!"

"Moo! Moo! Moo!" the Moos cheered in glee. Weakly limping outside, the girl squinted at the sunlight, and then sat down. She made strange gestures with her hands, manipulating her fingers in a hypnotic way. The girl's palms glowed slightly as she held them over her wounds. He and the Moos stared on, wide-eyed as they witnessed blue magic at work. When she finished, most of her wounds had been reduced to a few tiny bruises.

"That's better" she said, getting back up, she was probably less than an inch taller than him, she noticed him gazing,"Ummmm what are ya starin' at?"

"………." he paused, and then thought "Hey, why didn't ya do that…… whatever it was before?"

"The magic?" she asked "Oh, it couldn't work inside the cave…… there's a lot of chaos energy there..."

He gave her an odd look, and then just shrugged it off.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked, fiddling with a blade of grass.

"I'm OPowaga" he said pruodly "The King ov Moos, and you are?"

"Marie!" she said, taking an object out from her shawl "That's odd... I don't remember having this..."

She held up a peculiar, egg-shaped artifact, inspecting it closely. OPowaga gasped, trying to grab the object, leaping at her. She leapt to the side, causing him to trip, and gave him a curious look.

"What was that all about?" she asked him, quickly pocketing the object.

He lifted himself off the ground and paused to think "I need that... it's for a special contest. Wait, you're not in the tournament, are ya?"

She gave him a puzzled look, unsure of what to say, "I didn't know there was some kinda tournament, I was on my way ta La Lakoosha... and I ended up here."

"Hmmmmmmm that's far away" he said "We happen ta be outside ov Klonoa Town."

"Klonoa?" she asked "That's the name of my brother! Maybe I could find someone there that'll help me... fine, let's make a deal!"

"Huh?" he thought, looking up.

"I'll tag-a-long with you so I don't get lost, and if ya help me find Klonoa, then I'll give ya the egg ya want!" she announced. OPowaga rubbed his chin for a moment, thinking over, he said "Sure, ya can join, just give me the egg an-"

"No!" she said "How am I sure that you won't ditch me when ya get the egg? I'll keep it nice an' safe with me until ya carry out your part of the deal!"

"Hmmmmmmmm, you got yourself a deal!" he said, "Let's go! Off ta Klonoa Town! I'll lead the way"

"Moo!" the popul purel cheered. They all set off into the distance.

"Trickin' her will be easy..." he thought.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, tell me about this place we're headin'?" Marie asked as the group paced down the trail "It's called Klonoa Town? Maybe my brother was named after it? Maybe he was born there?"

"Wouldn't ya know whether or not he lived there?" OPowaga replied, closely eyeing her shawl. He hoped that by some stroke of luck the egg would fall from her pocket, leaving a moment of opportunity to snatch it. Marie pondered a moment, rubbing her chin in semi-deep thought, "Actually, I don't really know where we were born……"

"Hmmm?" OPowaga asked suspiciously "Ya don't know where ya grew up?"

"Nope" Marie simply stated "We've been travelers ever since….."

"Since what?"

"Oh, it's nothin' too important." She shrugged, taking the mysterious artifact out once again. It seemed to emit a warm glow, entrancing her. Staring deeply, she seemed to be lost in thought, when a sudden bright flash blinded the two. In a brief moment everything before her faded away; darkness enveloped the world, embracing the eerie silence.

"Wha?" she gasped, staring all around "What's happening? Where did everything go?"

Shadows replaced the gravel, the forest, the sky; darkness cursed the land, except for a patch, shrouded in mist. She started off towards the one place she could see, unsure if the ground would hold. The fowl substance took solid form beneath her, but rippled every time she stepped, like a tainted sea of evil. Running, she suddenly stumbled, landing on the island of light. The cool fog clouded all vision, allowing a lurking beast to conceal itself, its very presence sent shivers down her spine.

"The deity….. she may be useful…" it said in a low moan.

"Hey!" she gasped, turning around quickly, only to find an empty spot, and then turned back "Nya……. I must be loosing it…."

"Great child…….. collect all five artifacts..."

"?" she gasped "Who's there?"

"Collect the artifacts…. And I shall grant your one desire…."

"What? Who's there?" she yelled "I want ta go home!"

"If that is what you desire….. then collect the artifacts…." the ground below her finally lost form as the shadows slowly enveloped her. Struggling to keep above, choking as she drowned in the darkness, the world changed once again.

Everything came back into view, and she found herself lying on the ground, staring up at the silver moon. Groaning, she forced herself up, seeing the egg beside her on the ground that emitted a dull glow. Taking it back, she slipped it in her pocket, rubbing her sore head. It seemed that OPowaga too, passed out from that strange phenomenon, but soon woke, groggily staring at Marie.

"Ughh…." He moaned "My head…."

"Hmmmm….." she paused, taking in a deep breath "How long have we been out?"

"Coulda been a few hours…." He answered "I had the strangest dream…."

"About darkness?" Marie asked "Maybe a vision..."

"Kinda, somethin' in my dream said ta stick with you, that'd ya be the ticket ta winning the tournament…." He summarized "Why would ya know ov that dream?"

"Hmmmm... I had something similar, but it was more like a nightmare ta me. It mentioned that these artifacts…." She paused "It said they're what I need ta get home….. maybe that's where Klonoa might be…"

"Ah, just crazy dreams if ya ask me!" he stated proudly "But if we're lookin' fer the same thing, then I guess ya can tag-along with me!"

"……." Marie thought for a moment "Of course, you're the only person here I can trust…Hmmmm by the way, where did the Moos go?"

"…?" OPowaga gasped "Ack! The Popul Purels! Someone kidnapped my loyal subjects!"

Marie looked around, as OPowaga yelled out "Moos! Where'd you all go? Moos!" Somehow concentrating over his yells, she twitched her ears slightly, absorbing sounds from the area, until she determined "Someone else is here…."

"Where?" OPowaga asked frantically "Where'd the kidnapper go?"

"Ummmm…." Marie paused, listening again "Over in that direction!"

She pointed towards a trail of fallen trees, fresh with tire tracks of a giant machine, and walked over. Crouching down next to the marks in the ground, she determined "These tracks aren't natural...they look like treads, some sort of tank, maybe?"

"No!" OPowaga yelled, dashing down the path "Don't worry! Yer king's comin'!"

"Wait!" Marie called, setting out after him "We don't know what we're dealin' with!"

"I think I see something up ahead!" he replied, taking no notice to her advice. She too saw a strange mechanical beast in the distance, massive in size and taller than all the trees. Ducking into the foliage, she instinctually knew a surprise attack would be far better than a head-on assault, but there was still a problem, OPowaga would give away her position.

"Git over here!" she yelled, dragging him into the brush "Can't ya see the size ov that thing?"

"Ummmmmmmm….." he paused.

"A head-on attack wouldn't end well" she said, reviewing the scenarios "It looks like a sturdy machine, so we'll hafta think ov a different way to stop it."

"How else?" he asked.

"Well, maybe there's a way ta get inside it?" she thought "Fry its circuitry maybe? Take a look!"

She pointed at a sheet of glass, glinting dully in the moonlight towards the top of the robot, and said "I betcha there's some control center there….."

"But it's so high up!" he said "How would we get there?"

"Who said we?" she asked "You'll be a distraction as I fly towards the top!"

"Are ya crazy?" he said "That thing will crush meh!"

"Quiet!" she scolded "Just take these!"

Hands held out parallel from each other, she concentrated her magic into little marble-sized orbs that pulsed a shining blue color, and handed them over to him.

"What are these for?" he asked, taking a closer look.

"They create big bursts ov energy" she said "In other words, they explode."

"Oh, okay" he said "I still don't like this plan ov yours…"

"Your plan-"she paused

"What about my plan?" he accused

"Never mind!" she said "Just run out there and chuck those things at the robot."

"Fine" he said "Just this one time…."

OPowaga leapt out from the bushes, running towards the giant machine as Marie crept closer to the scene, using night's darkness for her stealth. OPowaga madly chucked an orb at the beast, triggering a massive explosion, but it didn't even dent the exterior armor. It did, however attract the beast's attention as Marie levitated silently from behind. Higher and higher, she approached the glass top as OPowaga threw more orbs at the machine. Materializing her beam sword, she slashed the glass, but it didn't shatter. Then she rammed it with her shoulder, but the glass wouldn't shatter still.

"Man, this thing's almost indestructible……. I wonder." She thought, drifting slowly towards a different section of the machine, trying to tear a scrap of metal off the robot. She yanked her hardest, slowly breaking a bar off from its bolts, and heading back, thinking "If this is as sturdy as the glass…"

She swung it at the panel, causing it to shatter on impact as she zipped inside. She saw many control panels and levers, seeming to move on their own.

"It's remote-controlled?" she thought "Well, not anymore."

Marie slashed every bit of machinery, sparks and wires flying all over the place, until silence came about. Wiping her forehead in a sigh of relief, she said "Finally…" and leapt out the window.

"Do ya see the Moos anywhere?" she called out to OPowaga.

"No, not yet…" he called back "Where could they have gone?"

"Don't tell me we destroyed that machine fer nothin'!" she sighed "Where could they be?"

"……" OPowaga paused "Wait, do ya hear something?"

Leaping down, she landed beside OPowaga, and stared down the path. Letting her ears twitch slightly.

"I do…" she said "Let's go!"

They both dashed off to the source. In the distance, they both saw the Moos wandering around, searching for their leader. One of them spotted OPowaga, and yelled "Moo!" They all ran over and eagerly surrounded him.

"Oh, they must ov wandered off!" OPowaga concluded "I was worried for a moment…"

Marie fell back, wiping some sweat off her forehead "What am I goin' ta do with you?"

She sat back up, and stared up at him, asking "So, can we go to Klonoa Town once an' fer all?"

"Sure!" he said "It's right outside this forest, and it looks like we're at the edge, only a few minutes away from here."

"Finally!" she moaned "It's been a long day."

"Get up!" he said "You can rest later! We mustn't waste time!"

"Sheesh!" she said, doing so "In a rush, aren't we?"

"Why ov course!" he said "If we slack off then I'll never win the tournament, so enough idle chat, let's go!"

Walking down the path, they soon made it out of the forest and into a grassy plain. A windmill could be made out in the distance, as well as a giant figure.

"Is that a statue?" she asked, squinting her eyes "Let's get a closer look!"

"But what about the Moos?" OPowaga asked "The villagers don't really like 'em"

"Hmmmm….. I'll go into town and look around, you can stay here, and I'll come back in an hour or so?" she suggested.

"That's fine with me, but I'll track ya down if ya run off!" he said.

"Don't worry" she said "I doubt you could ever catch meh..."

"What?" he asked.

"Ummm nothin'!" she said "I'll see ya in a bit!"

She zipped over to the town; many of the people were awaken by the ruckus caused in the forest. Looking down at the grass, she saw Pac-man symbols cut into the grass, and a statue that resembled Klonoa.

"Okay, this is weird…" she thought, running up to one of the citizens "hey, do ya know where I can find my brother? His name's Klonoa and he looks a bit like-"

"Did ya say Klonoa?" the villager asked excitedly. Marie gave him a strange look "Of course I said Klonoa! He's my big brother!"

"Awww, ya think he's your brother? Well, he is a great role model for the kids…. But ya resemble him slightly…." He rambled on 'I remember when he saved Lunatea from being plunged into darkness long ago, I was there ta see the whole battle."

"Wait, wait, wait!" she asked "What battle?"

"How can you know of the great Dream Traveler, and not know of his most recent battle only a few years ago? Anyway, I remember it vividly blah blah blah and Joiliante was restored from being plunged in the dark-"

"Wait!" she said "That happened the other day when Klonoa and I visited Popka an' Lolo!"

"Ah, they were good friends of Klonoa too! Rumor also has it that he had a little sister….. Maria, Mary… what was it?" he asked himself.

"Marie!" she said "Now can ya please stop talking?"

"Wait……. Floppy ears, smaller size, longer tail…." He gasped "You're Marie! Hey people, she's Klonoa's sister!"

The other villagers flocked over, surrounding her. Asking her many questions.

"What's it like ta be his little sister?"

"Do you have special powers too?"

"Do you know where Klonoa is now?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Wait, wait!" she yelled, trying to get away. They only surrounded her more, asking more questions. She leapt up and flitted her wings rapidly, perching on a roof-top.

"Nya" she said "these people are psychotic!"

She crouched down, flicking her tail curiously, wondering how a town could be so obsessed about Klonoa.

"I better leave" she thought "These people are way too crazy…."

Jumping off the roof, she made a frantic dash out of town, leaping around villagers and around houses until she made it to the open grasslands once again, kicking up some dust on the way. The dust and darkness shrouded her enough to disappear without a trace, as she headed back to where OPowaga was.

"That was fast" he said, looking up "Find out anything?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm famous" she sighed "Those people are crazy about Klonoa….. one villager who wouldn't stop rambling mentioned how he saved the world in a quest we both went on a few years ago……. But that doesn't make sense…how long was I in that cell?"

She frowned, thinking "I wonder what ta do now? I guess I don't have ta help Klonoa now, so maybe I should just collect these egg things……"

"Ov course!" he said "We'll just stick together since we're both lookin' for the same thing!"

"Sure….." she yawned "But fer now, it's kinda late, maybe we should delay our journey a night?"

"Ov course!" he said "I'll keep watch!"

"Thanks…" she said, lying down "I need the rest…."

She slowly drifted off to sleep, closing her eyes.

(Unfortunately, this is where the fic dies. OPowaga, the one who wanted to collab with me, disappeared because of college. Since he couldn't support much, I was struggling to try and get new chapters. Now why do you ask I show you a dead fic? It's a sample to show my talent before it fell into decline. Thanks to those who took the time to read this piece.)


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